ASX Small Cap Lunch Wrap: Who’s getting back in the saddle today?

The ASX Emerging Companies Index continued its solid start to the week, in the wake of last week’s 2.4 per cent fall.

Those gains were tracked by the big end of town, as the ASX200 also climbed by more than 1 per cent into midday trade.

With US markets closed for Labor Day, local stocks instead took the lead from a strong session in Europe.

Gains on the continent were outpaced by a 2.3 per cent jump on London’s FTSE exchange, which took its cue from a falling UK pound amid rising fears that a post-Brexit trade deal could fall through.

In other markets, gold dipped lower while prices for brent crude oil fell to one-month lows after Saudi Arabia announced it would cut prices on oil exports to Asia.

WINNERS

Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks at 12pm Tuesday September 8:

Swipe or scroll to reveal the full table. Click headings to sort.

Gold explorer Tanga Resources (ASX:TRL) caught the market’s attention, after acquiring three “highly prospective” exploration licences in the West African nation of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

TRL will pay around $150,000 for the licences, via its acquisition of Glomin Services Ltd.

“The acquisition positions Tanga with a high-quality portfolio of gold exploration projects in Côte d’Ivoire where we are excited to undertake systematic exploration to unlock the value in these properties,” executive director Chris van Wijk said.

Also rising strongly was Dotz Nano (ASX:DTZ), which has found strong demand for its product-tracing solution as a flurry of equipment manufacturers build out operations to meet demand for protective face masks.

The company came out of a trading halt to announce a new $US13m (~$18m) contract with a Canadian PPE manufacturer. DTZ shares are up more than 400 per cent since the start of May.

LOSERS

Here are the worst performing ASX small cap stocks at 12pm Tuesday September 8:

Swipe or scroll to reveal the full table. Click headings to sort.